Video: AP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The head of Iran’s prison authority on Tuesday apologized for “unacceptable” behavior after leaked video showed abuses in one of the country’s notorious prisons.
Mohammad Mahdi Hajmohammadi said they are “accepting responsibility for these unacceptable behaviors and committing to trying not to repeat such tragic events and dealing seriously with wrongdoers.”
The video leaked to the Associated Press shows prisoners and guards in Tehran’s Evin prison, including a man smashing a bathroom mirror to try to cut his arm, guards hitting prisoners, and guards fighting among themselves.
“I apologize to God Almighty, our dear leader, the noble nation and the honorable prison guards, whose efforts, of course, will not be ignored under the influence of these mistakes,” said Hajmohammadi.
Iran’s deputy chief justice told reporters on Tuesday that the issue is under investigation. “The judiciary is determined to deal severely with those who disrupt the security of society and play with the lives of the people and disrupt the well-being of the people,” Iranian state media quoted Mohammad Mossadegh Kahnemoui as saying.
Human rights monitors frequently raise concerns about poor conditions, abuse of prisoners, and use of torture in Iran’s penal system, especially in wards of Evin prison that are controlled by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
“Prison conditions were harsh and life threatening due to food shortages, gross overcrowding, physical abuse, and inadequate sanitary conditions and medical care,” the US State Department said in its annual human rights report.
Evin prison facility is the target of both US and EU sanctions for human rights abuses. After Iran cracked down on protesters following the disputed 2009 re-election of hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, many of the arrested protesters ended up in Evin.
International monitors are concerned that human rights could further erode in Iran under new President Ebrahim Raisi, a hardline judge with a record of human rights abuses who played a role in a 1988 prison massacre. Raisi has defended his record. “All that I have done through my years of service has always been towards defending human rights,” he said after the June election.
Mohammad Mahdi Hajmohammadi said they are “accepting responsibility for these unacceptable behaviors and committing to trying not to repeat such tragic events and dealing seriously with wrongdoers.”
The video leaked to the Associated Press shows prisoners and guards in Tehran’s Evin prison, including a man smashing a bathroom mirror to try to cut his arm, guards hitting prisoners, and guards fighting among themselves.
“I apologize to God Almighty, our dear leader, the noble nation and the honorable prison guards, whose efforts, of course, will not be ignored under the influence of these mistakes,” said Hajmohammadi.
Iran’s deputy chief justice told reporters on Tuesday that the issue is under investigation. “The judiciary is determined to deal severely with those who disrupt the security of society and play with the lives of the people and disrupt the well-being of the people,” Iranian state media quoted Mohammad Mossadegh Kahnemoui as saying.
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— Masih Alinejad 🏳️ (@AlinejadMasih) August 23, 2021
Shocking footage obtained by hackers who hacked into the notorious Evil Prison in Iran’s surveillance system. It shows how prisoners are violently beaten and tortured by prison officials.
Islamic Republics officials never allow UN Special Rapporteur to visit Iranian prison. pic.twitter.com/05eOx6QYJj
Human rights monitors frequently raise concerns about poor conditions, abuse of prisoners, and use of torture in Iran’s penal system, especially in wards of Evin prison that are controlled by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
“Prison conditions were harsh and life threatening due to food shortages, gross overcrowding, physical abuse, and inadequate sanitary conditions and medical care,” the US State Department said in its annual human rights report.
Evin prison facility is the target of both US and EU sanctions for human rights abuses. After Iran cracked down on protesters following the disputed 2009 re-election of hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, many of the arrested protesters ended up in Evin.
International monitors are concerned that human rights could further erode in Iran under new President Ebrahim Raisi, a hardline judge with a record of human rights abuses who played a role in a 1988 prison massacre. Raisi has defended his record. “All that I have done through my years of service has always been towards defending human rights,” he said after the June election.
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